Star of Her Own Fairytale
by Mind's Eye View
Summary: AU. She'd always dreamed of being rescued from a dragon by her handsome Prince Charming. But when Hinata's fantasies turn into reality, she begins to realize that her prince isn't all that charming, and that perhaps living with the dragon wasn't so bad.
1. Chapter 1

"He-Help!" Hinata screamed over the roar of dragon's fire.

The cruel beast had snatched her up while she had been singing beside a lake on her father's grounds and had flown her to its secluded castle in the mountains. The creature's servants—hideous trolls that made her skin crawl by the mere sight of them—had locked her in the tallest tower of the dragon's keep. The only consolation had been the small window that exposed the vast charred plain before the castle, which had given her _some_ hope of rescue.

And in fairy tales, hope was all you needed.

"Don't worry, Hime! I'll save you!" Hinata could barely contain her joy as her Prince waved his sword at the dragon's underbelly when it flew too close to him. The monster's shriek was loud enough to make Hinata cover her ears, but her Prince was undaunted. He urged his gallant steed forward, blood from its master's sword dripping onto its gray coat as it followed in the dragon's shadow. Her abductor latched on to the side of his castle, claws digging into the stone walls as easily as if they were made of butter. There was an ominous rumbling before it let loose a jet of blue flame aimed at her savior, causing Hinata to gasp.

"Naruto-ouji!" She leaned as far out of the window as she dared and reached out to him on the ground far below. But he simply raised the shield on his arm, blocking the cold flames as they scorched the ground around him. He glanced at her and gave her a winning smile. Hinata's heart beat loudly in her chest at the sight of it, and she returned it with a shy grin.

"I'll rescue you, my Hime! Right after I kill this nasty ol' lizard!"

"B-Be careful!"

He just smiled again and spurred his charger onward. By now, the dragon was forced to climb higher to avoid getting sliced by the man's sword. It snarled at him, teeth dripping with noxious saliva and black scales slick with its own foul blood. The dragon's tail lashed out, knocking the Prince out of his saddle. Hinata screamed again, her cry wordless as her Prince grasped the spikes on the creature's tail and began pulling himself up its body.

The dragon, too, began climbing, making his way across the castle walls to his prisoner's window. Hinata was too frightened to move, too scared to back away when its great reptilian head leveled with hers. Her Prince was on its back now, his sword raised above his head as he prepared himself to stab the dragon. He looked up at her again, wanting to savor his victory. His brilliant blue eyes widened with horror as the beast rumbled. The blade arced downward, plunging deeply into the beast's back. The dragon writhed in pain, great blocks of stone falling to the ground as it thrashed.

But her Prince had made his move too late. Blue fire tore loose from the dragon's throat, seeming to come in slow-motion toward Hinata. And she stood obediently, staring at the blossoming flame and wondering if it would burn her away to ashes or freeze her in shards of ice. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see her own death.

All she could hear was her Prince's voice, yelling her name as the heat of the flames consumed her.

Death was oddly warm.

She had been told tales of the White Women, that came to claim the dying by whispering their true name and leading them into the Dark. But there was no darkness. Though her eyes were closed, she could see flickers dancing just behind the lids, coaxing them to open. And it wasn't cold. Actually... it felt quite comforting.

"Hinata-nee..."

She smiled, feeling tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. That was her Prince, calling to her. Even then, their love was unstoppable. Had he not said that he would conquer Death itself if it dared to take her the many times he had courted her? She sighed contentedly and tried picturing him.

Soft, sun-kissed skin that wrapped around her on cold nights, keeping her warmer than any fire could ever hope to try.

"Hinata-neechan."

Eyes so blue that they made even the sky jealous. And so bright that she could imagine they were stars.

"Hey..."

Spiky hair the color of spun gold. And the silken strands smelled strongly of all her favorite scents without being overpowering: vanilla and cocoa, lilac and hyacinth, mandarin and crisp apple, cooked meat and burnt dough.

Hinata's lips puckered into a frown as she wondered where that last smell had come from. But she heard her name again, and the smile was back. She could see him now, in her mind's eye, and her need for him was almost painful. Hinata reached out for him, ignoring the now overwhelming heat as she sought to touch him.

"Oneechan! Stop, you'll catch fire!"

Small but strong hands shoved her back. Hinata landed with a soft 'ooph', her eyes snapping open as she focused on what she had been about to hug: an oven. Blinking blearily, the eighteen year old slowly got to her feet and gave her sister an appreciative smile.

"Th-Thanks, Hanabi. I... I must have dozed off in the middle of my baking." Hinata laughed quietly, hoping her casual attitude would put her little sister at ease. It didn't. Hanabi crossed her arms over her simple brown dress, identical to Hinata's own, excluding the small adjustments in size and 'shape'.

She glowered at her older sibling, ignoring the embarrassed blush that crept along her features. Finally, she gestured airily toward the oven where Hinata's pot pies were baking. "I thought you were going to cremate yourself. Honestly, this is the fourth time this week I've caught you day dreaming and had to save you before you got killed." she glanced at Hinata and the Hyuuga did her best to look as conflicted as possible.

"I'm sorry, Hani-chan. It won't happen again." she murmured humbly and bowed her head in a silent plea for forgiveness. Hanabi stiffened and seemed to contemplate her answer for a few moments before sighing.

"Whatever," she scratched the side of her nose and scowled at her sister. "Don't call me 'Hani-chan'; it's degrading." Hinata had to hide her laughter in the form of a cough. 'Degrading', in Hanabi's vocabulary, was apparently synonymous with Hinata's definition of 'cute'. Hanabi's scowl deepened before she turned on her heel and headed for the great room door, no doubt intent on finishing hanging the laundry. "Oh, and your pies are burning." Hinata sobered immediately and quickly fished her baking out of the oven with a spatula.

Despite her status as the eldest daughter of a lowly farmer, Hinata's cooking was on par with that of the cooks at the royal court. Her sister called it the magic touch; that anything Hinata made, no matter how disgusting the ingredients, would turn into a delicious meal. The other members of her family simply thought it was one of the few attributes she had that made up for her lack of other skills.

She wasn't good at sewing or spinning thread. Whenever she swept the floor, it somehow accumulated more dirt and grit the longer she cleaned. Half the laundry she washed was always swept downstream, and the other half blown away when hanged to dry. She wasn't strong enough to handle the livestock, nor did she have the _finesse_ required of one who planted seeds in the ruts left by the plow. But what she could do was cook.

And she was damn good at it too.

Hinata sighed as she laid the dozen small pies on the kitchen table. She sliced one open, her smile returning as a delectable smell wafted from where she cut. Hanabi had warned her that the pies were burned, but Hinata couldn't find any evidence. Perhaps her little sister was just trying to get back at her for drifting off while she was supposed to be working. But the meat was cooked to perfection, and the assorted vegetables and herbs that helped fill it steamed pleasantly as they cooled. No, Hinata was sure that if they had started to burn, she would have come back to herself. Call it her baker's sixth sense.

"Ah! Hinata-chan," her cousin, Neji, announced as he walked in from the back door. He took the time to pause and wipe the sweat off his brow with the back of a hand before taking an appreciative sniff. "Smells good! You must have been hard at work." Hinata blushed at Neji's praise, thanking the gods that he hadn't entered a few minutes earlier. Her cousin had always been critical of slackers, and had made the mistake of criticizing her lack of work after she had been assigned as the full-time cook. Needless to say, after spending a day with her in the kitchen, he realized she pulled her own weight and then some.

The Hyuuga farm was just a speck of land in the outskirts of Konoha, the capitol of Fire Country, but that 'speck' required all the members of the family to maintain and utilize it. Every crop they grew, every animal they raised was used for the betterment of the family. There was no such thing as disposable income. Hell, there was barely any income to speak of.

Which was why Hinata baked.

"N-None for you!" she scolded her older cousin and gently slapped his hands away with her loyal spatula from the pie he had been eying. He gave her a hurt look but backed off to a respectable distance, still staring at the mouth-watering pies. "I'm selling th-them at m-market today." Neji nodded, giving her a small smile as he started for the door.

"I'll get Juken ready for you while you pack them up."

"O-Oh! That's n-not neces..." Hinata's words died on her lips because Neji was already outside in heading toward the large barn. Hinata sighed and began packing the pies away into a nearby basket. This had been her last batch for the morning if she wanted to make it in time to sell them to hungry market-goers during the lunch rush. She had made three dozen, minus the damaged few that she had left on the counter for anyone who was hungry enough to claim them. She had planned on walking to the busy shopping district in Konoha, but Neji had all but insisted she ride there.

Hinata let a forlorn sigh slip through her lips before covering the fruit (or in this case, pot pies) of her labor with a cloth and going outside. She shielded her eyes with a hand from the glaring sun as she made her way to the road. Neji was there waiting for her, holding the reins of a stocky bay mare. Hinata hesitantly approached them, her eyes downcast as Neji helped her into the saddle and strapped the basket firmly behind her. "Be safe, Hinata-chan. We truly appreciate you working extra-hard to ensure we're safe from the tax-collectors." he smiled up at her before giving the horse a firm slap on the haunch.

Juken trotted stiffly toward the large castle in the distance. Hinata squirmed uncomfortably in the saddle, not from the awkward gait, but from her cousin's words. Being the one of the few cooks in the family, she had to make breakfast, supper, dinner, and light snacks for her large family, but she also managed to bake extra meals to sell for a profit. It was true that she was admired for this act. But her family didn't know that she wasn't the selfless porcelain doll they made her out to be; her own father would likely have a conniption if he knew that earning money was just an excuse. That she could care less about the money—the only reason she went was for the chance of catching a glimpse of her beloved Prince Charming.

His grandmother's, the queen, castle loomed right above the busy market where Hinata sold her goods. Each day, she would sling her basket over her shoulder and walk up and down the crowded main street, harking whatever food she had made. But her pace always slowed whenever she neared the huge stone building, and she couldn't help but stare longingly at the uppermost windows and wonder if her Prince was staring right back at her.

Hinata smiled dreamily and drifted off into another of her daydreams. She didn't pay any attention to her surroundings—who would, when they could be cuddling with one extremely handsome Prince in his lavish bedroom suite? But, thankfully, her family's horse was well-trained, and the old mare knew exactly where her rider needed to go, even if the girl didn't. The bay plodded easily along the dusty road, barely twitching an ear when the packed dirt changed to echoing cobblestone. The guards around the inner gates waved her through, and the plucky mare gave them a curt nod in response. She moved along the smaller alleyways, where it was less crowded, and eventually ended up in Hinata's choice spot: near the palace's gaping entrance.

Juken snorted loudly, snapping Hinata out of her musings. The Hyuuga girl frowned down at the mare, but the horse was oblivious. Hinata slid off her back and relieved the mare of her load. She tossed the saddle and bridle carelessly into a heap beside a hat shop and half-wondered if the grumpy old mare would take advantage of her new-found freedom and run off. But Juken simply yawned casually in Hinata's face and sidled over to a stray patch of grass to graze. Shaking her head, Hinata gripped her basket tightly and set off through the middle of the sea of people.

Hinata sighed and stared up at the bright sky. It was nearly time for her to return home, and she had only sold a few pies. Luckily, the covering on the basket was keeping them fresh and warm, but if she didn't sell them, that little blessing wouldn't matter anyway. Not that she cared or anything; she lived in a world of her own imagination, and the ethereal poverty of her family didn't impose any threat on her dreaming. Her only regret would be returning home without having spotted the love of her life, her one true destiny, the Crown Prince Naruto.

She sighed again and closed her eyes, imagining the warmth from the sun was actually her beloved's cozy body keeping the chill off of her. If she just barely cracked her eyes open, she could see the piercing blue staring down at her, his eyes. And the overpowering yellow was simply his hair, resting over his expansive eyes.

Her prince wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling the crook of her neck and letting his warm breath fan over the sensitive skin. Hinata shivered, the action beginning to rouse her from her fantasy. She could hear voices yelling and the steady beat of a horse's gallop, but she ignored it in favor of delving deeper into her fantasy. Naruto's mouth pressed against her cheek causing another delighted shiver as he spoke. He whispered to her, his voice husky with desire.

"Hinata. I love you."

"I love you too, Naruto." she murmured back, giggling when he nipped at her ear.

"Marry me, Hime. I want you... badly." His teeth caught her ear and he tugged gently, causing her to gasp.

"Oh! Yes! Of course!"

"But you must do one thing, before we wed."

"A-Anything." she blushed, inwardly berating herself for stuttering, now of all times. But he didn't care, and she imagined him smiling _that_ smile—the one that could make even the coldest heart melt into a puddle—and moving so his forehead rested against hers. She sucked in a sharp breath, already anticipating the feel of his lips pressed against hers.

"All you need to do is get out of the way." he crooned and brushed his thumb over her lips.

"Eh? I... I'm afraid I don't understand, Ouji-kun." she responded, frowning again as he started pulling away from her. She tried wrapping her arms around him (she wanted that damn kiss), but the attempt was futile.

"Get out of the way, Hina-hime." His tone was louder, yet somehow managed to sound distant.

"Get... um, get?—" she stammered, now reaching out to him as he steadily began to back away. He nodded, giving her one last glimpse of that smile before vanishing completely. Still, his voice remained, echoing around her until, disoriented, she fell on her knees.

"OUT OF THE WAY!"

Hinata's eyes snapped open at the sound of his voice, giving her enough time to register her Prince—not some cheap imitation, but the real, flesh and blood Prince Naruto—riding straight toward her at a break-neck pace. His smile, not the tender one she was used to but a manic grin that stretched from ear to ear, made her heart clench painfully at the sight before another, more demanding pain knocked her the rest of the way to the ground as his horse hopped carelessly over her.

Her basket flew high into the air and landed a few feet away. A few pies rolled on their sides, spinning around in tighter and tighter circles until they finally flopped to the ground. Hinata watched them with bleary eyes, her shocked body not allowing her to do much else. She could hear more hoof beats but those, thankfully, stopped before she was trampled again.

The world shifted as someone helped her up, and she slyly sneaked a glance at the man's face, hoping beyond hope that it was her knight in shining armor come to rescue her. But her hope vanished as her eyes adjusted to the suddenly searing light. It was not her prince; just a scary, dark-haired man that was glaring at her. Hinata whimpered from being on the receiving end of his frightening gaze, and slowly wobbled over to where her basket lay. She muttered a quiet 'thank you' as she gathered up the pies that had remained in the basket (most of them broken or crushed, she noted with some dismay).

"Hey! Are those pies?" Hinata started, nearly dropping the bundle in her arms at the voice, _his voice_.

"N-N-N-Na-Na-Na-ru-ru-t-t-to-s-s-sama!" she sputtered as the man of her dreams stood beside her and stared hungrily at her. Well, stared hungrily at the squished pies that were visible where the cloth had fallen. But it was a start.

He cocked his head at her, still wearing that manic grin from when his horse had run her over. She could feel her heart hammering away inside her chest as he draped an arm around her shoulders and plucked a piece of crust from an exposed pie. She didn't mind though; just stared wide-eyed at him as he flicked it into his mouth and chewed.

"Hey... these are really good! Better than what Cook makes!" If possible, his smile grew until it nearly split his face. Hinata nodded vigorously, regaining her bearings as Naruto grabbed the rest of the pie. "Sakura-chan, you have to try some of this!"

Hinata's heart constricted again, though this time, there was no accompanying joy. A girl walked over to him, her vibrant pink hair falling in waves down her back. Hinata knew her well—well, knew _of_ her. She was Haruno Sakura, a wealthy noble-woman, and the object of the real Prince Naruto's affections. Hinata had always idolized the woman, and considered her a rival in her quest to win the Prince's heart.

Sakura scowled at him but picked up a piece and tried it. Her green eyes lit up and spared a glance for Hinata, who was blushing madly and trying to will away her shyness. The two women locked eyes for a moment before Hinata looked down at her toes. "These _are_ really good. I see there's still some left... How much are they, Miss?.."

"H-Hinata! H-Hyuuga Hinata!" she squeaked and curtsied sloppily. "Th-They're free for you, M-M'lady." Sakura smirked approvingly and swiftly took the basket out of Hinata's arms.

"Eh! Sakura-chan, I wanted those! Oh, I know! You're going to give them to me as a gift! Maybe even feed me. How sweet of you, Sakura-chan!" Naruto chuckled.

Sakura's face contorted in horror for a moment before she collected herself and smiled sweetly. The prince, taking it as affirmation, closed his eyes and opened his mouth wide with an expecting grin. Still smiling, Sakura picked up one of the more whole pies and shoved the entire thing into his mouth. Naruto began choking, clutching at his throat as he tried to swallow.

"I didn't get them for _you._ And there's only one man that I'd ever hand-feed." her expression took on a dreamy quality (much like Hinata's when she thought of her prince), and she batted her eyelashes at the dark-haired man. Hinata was shocked that she would turn down Prince Naruto's affections so readily, and more than a little miffed that she had endangered his life, but didn't intervene when she skipped over to the other man and offered him the basket. His glare switched between the basket and her face before he slowly took one of the proffered goods and took a suspicious bite.

"Um... sorry about before. You know, the whole 'running you over' thing," Hinata turned around, inwardly shrieking with joy as Naruto spoke to her. "Rasengan just gets a bit excited when we come home." he shrugged and laughed, pointing at a chestnut horse that was bothering a large, black stallion while a third, smaller grey looked on with distaste.

"Th-think n-nothing of it, M-m-m-m'lord." she squeaked in reply, silently cursing her stupid stutter and that Kami-awful blush that turned her entire body an unflattering red. But he seemed to overlook her flaws, and gave her another brilliant grin that made her knees wobble threateningly.

"Naruto! Stop flirting with Hanabi and get your ass back in the saddle. I have to consult with Tsunade-sama about the upcoming ball _you're_ supposed to be planning." Hinata frowned at the pinkette as her prince hurriedly rushed to his horse and mounted. Not only had she gotten her name wrong, but she had said her sister's name, whom she didn't even know. _Am I really that forgettable?_

The trio resumed their ride, with Prince Naruto leading them back to the palace (he said "Bye, Hinabo", which made her want to praise the heavens and crawl in a corner and cry at the same time). Sakura followed behind him on the gray horse, both of them giving her haughty glances as they passed. And finally, the scary man on the huge black stallion, who didn't even seem aware she was on the same planet as he. But she heard something clink as he rode past, and, glancing down, Hinata found a small bag had fallen from his saddle. Golden coins spilled out of it, and she hurriedly picked them up and started running after him.

"S-Sir! You dropped s-something!" she called, hiking up her skirts with one hand and the other thrusting out the bag of coins. But he was going too fast for her to catch him up, and even if he did hear her, the only inclination he gave was a careless wave of his hand. Hinata gave up when the troupe crossed the drawbridge of the castle, and stood panting in the middle of the street. _There's no harm in keeping them, I suppose. He didn't even know he lost them. _She mused while tucking the weighty bag into her brassiere. _Besides, father will be happy with the extra money. And there's no reason that I couldn't keep a few coins for myself; no one would know, and I deserve a new dress. A bright pink one, maybe. _Smiling slightly, she fetched her discarded tack, and after taking a few minutes to track down Juken, climbed into the saddle and let the old mare pick her way home.

**A/N** This is a little idea that's been in my head for a while now, and I only recently just found enough muse to finish this. It'd be a multi-chapter side project, but one I can foresee myself enjoying immensely. Anyway, hope it sounds interesting enough for y'all, and don't forget to let me know what you think of it!


	2. Chapter 2

When the old mare plodded into the Hyuuga homestead, her rider dismounted in an angry huff before Juken even came to a stop. Her ankles throbbed violently as she landed, the pain only adding more fuel to the metaphorical fire building within her. She stalked off toward the moderate-sized main house, only just remembering she had to take care of Juken when the bay horse nudged her impatiently on the back.

"Neji-san? Anyone?" Hinata called, shielding her eyes against the setting sun with a hand and gazing around the deserted farmyard. She waited a few minutes, the silence only broken by the occasional swish of the mare's tail, before trying again. "I need help!"

After another few minutes' waiting, yielding the results of no one arriving at her beck and call, Hinata pursed her lips to keep back the scream that was threatening to tear out of her throat and turned her attention to Juken. Though she didn't want to take her anger out on the reliable old mare, Hinata couldn't help but be a bit rough as she unbuckled the girth strap and slipped the bridle off Juken's face. The mare stepped back, popping her jaw as she stretched her mouth. Her murky brown eyes stared at her handler for a moment before resting expectantly on the discarded tack that lay at her hooves.

"It's not going to get up and put itself away, no matter how hard you stare at it." Hinata told her. Juken glanced back at the girl and did the equine-equivalent of arching an eyebrow and snorted. The two stared at each other for a moment before Hinata stomped loudly over to the forlorn leather saddle and bridle and began dragging the mess of straps and metal over to the barn. Juken followed behind her, nudging the heap with her nose every few paces in a halfhearted attempt to help. Hinata kicked one of the doors open and left Juken's tack in a pile next to a litter of straw.

Hinata stood up, wincing as her spine cracked with the action, and wiped the sweat and grime off of her forehead with an equally sweaty and grimy arm. "I'm sure Neji-san will come by later to clean the tack and put it in its rightful place." she mused loudly. She had noticed Juken going for a bottle of oil and dirty rag, no doubt intent on getting Hinata to do a thorough job. The bay mare pinned her ears and snorted grouchily, but grudgingly sidled over to an open hay bale and fell upon her evening feed. Shaking her head, Hinata headed back to the main household.

Her mood had soured the moment she left the city's protective walls. The sun had decided to set slowly today, and made sure to stay in her eyes the entire way home. And nearly a quarter down the road, she was almost knocked from Juken's back when a messenger rider thundered past her, and then again when she was almost halfway home and he came charging back. Luckily, the mare wasn't spooky, and had had enough sense in her to dart quickly to the side when she heard the cacophony of hoof-beats. But none of those things could compare to the one thing that had really ticked the young girl off.

Hinata hadn't been able to daydream.

She had tried—oh, how she had tried!—the entire way. But just when she was about to drift away into one of her fantasies, something would happen (like the man on the horse, or the sun blinding her at that exact moment), and she would have to bite her lip to keep from screaming out in anguish. Without her dreams, she was forced to remain in the real world, a place she detested, because she couldn't be what she wanted to be.

Rich.

Nobility.

The crown prince's wife.

Hinata sighed and tapped the dust off of her boots on a nearby rock. Her dreams were all she had, and being without them for so long made her incredibly irritable. She ran her hands through her hair, tucking a few stray wisps that had escaped her bun made earlier in the day, and prayed she wouldn't murder whoever confronted her before she had a nice, hot bath.

She opened the back door and was greeted by an empty kitchen. Hinata arched an eyebrow and stared around the room. Ingredients littered the tables and counters, as they normally did during the large supper meal-time, but the food looked as though it had been hastily abandoned. Tomatoes oozed their juices on the cutting blocks, meat laid out beside the over-boiling pots on the fires began to smell, and the bread in the oven had baked to crumbling black loaves. But Hinata was far too irritated to investigate further. She could hear the bathtub upstairs calling her name, and nothing, not even the mysterious vanishing of her family and the half-made dinner could keep her from it.

The Hyuuga pushed through the swinging door that separated the kitchen from the main living room and thought wryly that at least one of the phenomena was solved.

Her entire family (well, all that lived on the farm) was crowded into the normally spacious area. Cousins were seated on anything that was stable, aunts took up every chair and cushion, uncles stood warily behind their wives, and her father, the patriarch of their "clan", was squished between one of her heftier aunts and her little sister on the only sofa. Hyuuga Hiashi jumped to his feet the moment his eldest daughter entered the room. The atmosphere was grave, and though her family hadn't been speaking before she arrived, the room was now deathly silent. Hinata crossed her arms and glowered at her father, something that she would not have done even in her wildest dreams, and tapped an impatient foot.

"I've come back from market," she stated slowly and pulled out the bag of coins on her belt. "This is what I made today." she added, equally slow, and set them down on a nearby table. She didn't mind parting with it (she still had her own stash, hidden between her own 'money bags'), and knew that anyone who attempted to steal it right in front of her father was asking to be lynched on the spot.

But Hiashi didn't move to retrieve it. Didn't even flinch when the coins clattered out of the bag and rolled out onto the table. Hinata sighed and crouched to pick up the ones that had rolled onto the floor.

"A messenger came today." Hiashi broke the quiet so suddenly that she started and bumped her head on the table. Rubbing the sore spot, she quickly got to her feet and dropped the coins into the small pile that spilled out of the bag.

"Oh? That's nice." Hinata replied automatically while walking to the stairs.

"He informed us our farm is in danger." Hinata hesitated, her hand on the rickety old railing and one foot already on the bottom step.

"How horrible." she sighed and tried to look aggrieved by the news, but only managed to look as exasperated as she felt. She had heard him, sure, but at the moment, not getting to soak in tepid water was a much bigger problem than their impending homelessness.

"The Dragon is going to burn all our land to the ground."

Hinata paused again. She had heard tales of the Dragon, most of them from the puppeteer, Kankuro, who set up in the market on Sundays to entertain children, but still, seeing the stories acted out by cute little marionettes didn't make them any less frightening. He was rumored to be terrifying (no one had seen it and lived), and as heartless as the plague that had swept the countryside years before and killed off more than half of the population. Hinata weighed this new revelation against her main problem, and still decided that a bath was more important. She started climbing the stairs.

"And the only way to save our livelihood is to sacrifice you."

This made Hinata stop completely. It was fine with her if they were forced to move-in with some far-off relative, or wait out the beast's siege, but the way he worded it sounded as though her family had already decided to... to...

"So, you're going to kill me?" she mused, the bath now long forgotten. "You'll kill me to save yourselves?" Hinata didn't mention that she would have likely done the same thing in their situation. But, she figured if she was going out, she was going to make them feel as miserable as possible.

"Of course not! What would the Dragon want with a dead girl?" one of her uncles exclaimed.

"What would the Dragon want a girl to begin with?" she retorted and rolled her eyes.

"He steals them!" a young cousin quipped.

"Dragons only steal princesses. And Hinata-nee isn't pretty enough to be one." another corrected matter-of-factly, and received a sharp cuff on the back of his head as a reward.

Hinata's cheeks blushed out of indignation, and she felt her control on her temper beginning to wane. "Well, obviously, I _am_ pretty enough for our Dragon, or else he wouldn't have requested me specifically," she nodded, as if that settled the matter. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to wash." And with that, she bolted up the stairs.

Hinata wasted no time in drawing the hot water (one of the good things about living in the middle of no where were the underground hot springs) and sliding into the porcelain tub, one of the few luxuries her family owned. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of the bath, willing herself into a light slumber.

A knock roused her just as she was about to drift off, and she had to clench her fists to keep from throwing the back scrubber at the door. Hinata clenched her teeth and glared daggers at the innocent piece of wood.

"Yes?" she called tersely, hoping that whoever it was had decided from her tone that it wasn't worth it, and would leave.

"It's me." her father's voice was slightly muffled, but still carried an air of authority that made Hinata immediately regret snapping at him.

"Yes?" she repeated, meekly this time.

"I am truly sorry about this, Hinata. But it's either give you up or all of us die," she heard him sigh , and a soft _thunk_ told her he had rested his head against the cool wood. "If your mother was still around, maybe... maybe things would be different." Hinata stared down at the cloudy water she was sitting in, trying to ignore how her father's voice cracked at the mention of his wife. She had passed away almost fifteen years ago, while she had been in labor with Hanabi.

"I'm going to appeal to Queen Tsunade in the morning. We've served her family loyally for generations; surely, she will take pity on us and send her grandson to save you..." Hiashi trailed off into a mumble, making his last sentence a bit garbled, but still legible enough for Hinata to discern.

"C-C-Crown Prince Naruto will save me?" she asked, unable to keep herself from stuttering. If he saved her from the Dragon (which was, truth be told, one of her favorite fantasies), he might fall in love with her. Which meant she would live with him in his castle. As the Crown Princess. His wife.

"Well, yes, if I am able to convince her. But, perhaps there is another way. We Hyuuga have farmed this land for hundreds of years. It is our duty to defend it from all invaders, as our ancestors have before us. My own twin died protecting me. It's only right that I should honor his memory and stand tall." Hiashi's tone was firm again, seeming to gain strength the longer he spoke.

"Yes, thank you for making me realize this, Hina. I'll call the family together again and explain the new plan."

She was out of the tub and in her sleep-clothes in an instant, the door thrown open a second later, and her arms wrapped around her father in a tight embrace moments after. "N-No!" she pleaded and hugged him from behind "I'll do it. I don't want anyone dying for my sake."

Which was the truth. At least, half of it.

"You've all worked so hard to support us. It isn't right to have it destroyed just because of me."

Hiashi was shaking in her arms now, and Hinata gave an alarmed squeak as he turned around and captured her in a tight embrace.

"My beautiful, beautiful daughter." he breathed and squeezed her so tight, she thought her spine would snap. He let her go after she started making choking sounds, and she could see light trails of tears running down his face. He smiled softly and kissed her forehead. "I'll grovel on my hands and knees before the Prince himself, if that is what it takes for him to save you."

Hinata smiled brightly and gave him a light peck on the cheek.

"I'll go pack!"

**A/N** So, I probably should have done this in the first chapter, but whatever, I'll do it now before I forget; Hinata's gonna be a bit out of character. What I mean by that is, she will still act like her canon counter-part, only, her inner thoughts and feelings will be... different. Sort of like Sakura and Inner Sakura. Got it? Ok. Short chapter and pretty uneventful chapter, but next one should be better (I pumped this one out in an hour because I told myself I would update if I got twenty reviews, and lo and behold). Anyway, hope this was just as enjoyable, though, and please let me know what you thought!


	3. Chapter 3

A man with silver hair arrived at their farm as the sun rose sluggishly from the east.

The entire family had gathered outside to bid Hinata good-by before they went about their daily chores. Her father had insisted on her taking Juken ("We have other horses, Hina, and you can't just walk the entire way."), so the faithful mare was saddled with her rider's scanty belongings and standing patiently by her mistress's side while Hiashi spoke with the man.

The first thing Hinata noticed about him was his face, or what she could see of it. In spite of his prematurely-aged hair, he looked to be in his late twenties, not much older than her cousin Neji. He wore a scarf, though winter was more than a few months away, which covered most of the lower portion of his face, and an eye-patch over his left eye.

The second thing she noticed was his horse. Contrary to the fine clothing he was wearing (a clean white tunic, black trouser pants, shining brown boots, and a deep red cape), his mount was everything but spectacular. The stallion was sway-backed and the same color as his hair, though not as lustrous, and his legs trembled every so often, as if they would collapse from the slightest puff of wind.

Hiashi finally stepped away from the man and hugged his daughter. He was shaking again, and Hinata felt a pang in her heart when she realized she may never see him, or her relatives, ever again: that she was being selfish for wanting to go, and that she was causing her family unnecessary grief by doing so.

But she quickly stopped that train of thought with a small shake of her head. _Naruto-ouji will save me. And when we get married, I'll make sure my family comes to live with us in the palace. They'll never have to farm again, never have to work._ The idea made her feel better about the whole situation, and she pulled away with a warm smile.

No one spoke as she climbed into the saddle and bade them farewell with a small wave. They simply stared silently at her retreating back as she and the man urged their old mounts into a trot and rode south to the far-off mountains.

As the scenery passed by at a mediocre pace, Hinata again found herself unable to slip away from reality. First of all, her companion was attempting to make conversation with her (Hinata found the very idea repulsive). His comments on their surroundings were surprisingly numerous, given that there were only flat, dusty plains and far-off mountains as far as the eye could see. Though his voice was very nice, and she liked the way his eye squinted when he smiled (or when she assumed he did), the fact that he was keeping her from daydreaming put him in bad standing.

And secondly, for the life of her, she couldn't imagine a single fantasy. Not even her favorites, which were repeated so often that she could even recall how many candles were lit when they "celebrated" their love for the third time, or could recite their wedding vows word for word. To find herself inhibited yet again was frustrating, to say the least.

Hinata sighed irritably and squeezed her eyes shut, doing her best to block out the man's ('Kakashi', he had said his name was, and she could only wonder what kind of parent would name their kid that) voice. _Dream forty two. The one where I, the poor, abused peasant-girl go to one of the palace balls and have the Prince __fall in love with me._ She repeated this over and over in her head, worrying her lower lip slightly as she tried to force herself into a daze. _Perhaps if I held my breath long enough, I could pass-out and dream easier..._

But there was no need for that.

She was outside Konoha's castle, the night perfectly cloudless with a round, shining moon watching over her. Her dress, a beautiful frost-blue gown that was made from the finest fabrics (she hadn't yet planned out how, exactly, she had gotten the gown. Or to the ball.), and on her feet was a pair of slippers made from the clearest glass. Her hair was curled and bound tightly above her head in a shape that very much resembled a beehive. Though the overall outfit was uncomfortable (even her dream self had enough logic to realize that), she looked damned good in it, and that's what made wearing it more than worth it.

She smiled hugely, the pull on her heart telling her that her soul's match was somewhere inside that building. Hinata traversed the many steps to the ballroom's entrance, being careful not to snag her imaginary dress on anything or chip her non-existent shoes on one of the marble stairs. But she made it, eventually, to the grand oak doors that reached nearly to the very top of the castle.

She took a moment to admire the beauty of the evening, the cool air, the reassuring glow of the moon. Hinata pressed her hands against her heart, eyes closed and expression soft as she enjoyed the erratic beating of the muscle. Her true love was just behind those wooden doors, so close that she could hear his throaty chuckling drifting from within the large room. Eyes still closed, she nodded to the doormen, wanting her Prince to be the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes. There was a protesting groan as the doors were forced open, and she smiled again, immediately expecting the sounds and smells of the ball to envelop her.

Only she didn't hear any music or voices. Just that incessant groaning from the doors, which had deepened to a low rumble. And she didn't smell anything she knew she should: sweat, cooked food, and perfumed air. She sniffed once, wrinkling her nose at the stench of burned flesh and dirt, and, really now, those doors were still rumbling? But her heart continued to pound violently in her chest, a sure a sign as any that her love was there, waiting for her.

"Take me," her voice was barely above a whisper as she slowly opened her eyes to regard him, a heated blush creeping onto her face though she had never felt so sure of herself before. "I am yours, and yours alone. Take me now, lest we be forever parted." They were words she had spoken so many times that they had almost lost their meaning. But this time, for some reason, she felt the weight behind them. She stared into his eyes, wondering, briefly, why they were red and not the stunning sky blue she loved.

And then the dragon belched a huge flame of blue fire toward the ceiling of the deserted ballroom before setting its hungry eyes on her and devouring her whole.

Hinata awoke with a jerk.

The dream had felt so real, though now she realized she was still on Juken's back, with the same boring countryside moving behind them, although the mountains were considerably larger. Yet that didn't keep the gooseflesh from rising on her arms, or a shiver from running down her spine.

It took her a while to notice after calming herself that Kakashi had finally stopped talking. She turned her head to the left to stare at him, her white eyes unabashed, if a bit glazed. Kakashi met her gaze with his sole eye, his usually jovial spirit subdued and uncharacteristically somber.

"He'll probably be hungry when we arrive, so he'll want you prepared right away. It shouldn't be a problem though, as he isn't a very picky eater: as long as it's nothing too sweet or served with a side of fermented beans. You seem like a nice girl, and you're by far the prettiest he's chosen, if you don't mind me saying so." He smiled now, because his eye curved downward and his inherent devil-may-care attitude returned, "Yes, I think you'll satisfy him for a good, long while."

Hinata felt her mouth form a small 'o' of shock, but didn't bother to mind her manners. She wasn't sure whether she should be flattered, frightened, or offended by his statement. Did he mean she was so big, she'd provide a meal even a dragon couldn't finish in one sitting? And did that mean it was going to eat her? And why was he speaking so casually about it? Did he get some sick pleasure out of seeing his master rip apart young maidens?

But she didn't ask any of them. She simply faced forward again with her mouth clamped firmly shut and let Kakashi prattle on about their destination without taking in a word of it.

**A/N** A short chapter, but a chapter nonetheless. This is turning out much longer than I expected, as Hinata was supposed to arrive at the dragon's keep in this one, but I couldn't make a satisfying transition. So... next chapter, which should hopefully be out before the new year comes, and, bonus, Sasuke will finally make his debut (if you don't count the first chapter, which I don't, XD). Anyhow, thank you all for staying with me, erratic updates and lack thereof aside!


	4. Chapter 4

The castle was big.

No, 'big' didn't do the building justice. It was _huge_. _Immense_. _Colossal_. It was so gigantic that she had, at first, thought it to be a mountain. Only when they reached the base did she realize that it was, in fact, a building. But, in her defense, it did look very much like a mountain. The stone that formed the walls was jagged and unrefined, giving the already intimidating place an extra dash of unfriendliness. It had tall towers (what she had believed to be rock formations) whose tips she assumed were sharpened to deadly points, because how else could they soar into the sky and pierce the oppressive clouds that hung over this place?

Castles were supposed to be grand and elegant, filled with riches and laughter and charming princes. And this... _thing_ was more like a fortress. She imagined a group of wart-faced villains, a legion, if you will, cackling madly within, their minds filled with thoughts of impending doom. Yes, this place looked like a headquarters for a legion of doom.

But the feature that convinced her was the moat. Hinata, being the expert that she was, knew that all castles had moats. Though the water was blanketed in green scum and nearly black where it wasn't, it was a moat nonetheless, which made her feel at least a bit at ease because of the familiarity.

She stopped Juken by the edge of the obstruction and tried not to think about losing her balance and falling down the long drop into the murky water below. She instead stared straight across at the castle, bemused for some unknown reason. That is, until she realized they were on one side of a nearly hundred-foot barrier, with no way to cross.

"Um... sorry, but what happened to the bridge?" she asked, her voice naturally hushed in the presence of the foreboding structure.

But Kakashi didn't answer: only sighed and pulled a whistle out of one of his pockets. They stared at each other for a moment before Hinata realized what he wanted and, blushing, closed her eyes.

There was no ear-splitting shriek or echoing blare; the only thing she had heard was Kakashi taking a deep breath.

"Alright," he called to her once he had repositioned his scarf, and she obligingly opened her eyes. Nothing looked any different. There was no magically summoned drawbridge, no pillars that rose from the depths of the moat, not even a sparkling rainbow bridge of light.

And then a geyser of water shot out from the moat directly in front of them. Hinata suppressed a scream but couldn't keep herself from starting out of surprise. Juken snorted, her nose twitching from the slight spray that hit her nostrils, but remained otherwise unimpressed.

It was then that Hinata noticed that there was a boy sitting on the top of the spout, at eye level with them. And then, immediately after, she realized he was completely nude and thereafter stared pointedly at her hands.

"Oi, what the hell. You _know_ I hate that sound." The boy rubbed his ears and pointed an accusatory finger at Kakashi, "I was sleeping, you know."

"Ah, I'm sorry for waking you," Kakashi said pleasantly, though he didn't sound apologetic at all. "But the bridge seems to be missing, and I was wondering if you might know where it went." Something in his tone told Hinata that a vanishing bridge wasn't the strangest thing to happen here.

"Juugo," was all the boy said.

"Ah," Kakashi nodded solemnly and rubbed his chin, seemingly deep in thought. The boy scoffed and began swinging his legs, his boredom evident. Hinata squeaked quietly (she wasn't _looking_, but she could still _sense_ it), then wished she had just kept her eyes closed, because the boy's gaze zeroed in on the source of the noise, causing a grin to take precedence on his face.

"What's this?" he mused coyly and jerked his head toward her. The lingering blush on Hinata's cheeks deepened as the boy leaned over and cupped his hand under her chin, forcing her to look up.

"Not bad, but what's wrong with her eyes? Did those cats do this?"

Kakashi sighed again and rubbed his temples. "Cats? Do you mean cataracts?"

"Yeah, that." The boy stared seriously at her through his soaked white bangs, suddenly very grave. "You shouldn't fuck with cats. They steal your shit and get their hair all over the place. That's why you gotta kill 'em and eat 'em right away, or they'll use one of their lives to come back and fuck with you all over again." He nodded sagely and released her.

Hinata rubbed her chin and frowned at him. "Y-You don't get cataracts from cats." she told him, though he didn't hear her or simply chose to ignore her.

"So, she Master's new toy?" he asked Kakashi, idly scratching the side of his nose.

"Yes, and I think if you have any sense of self-preservation, you won't touch her again." Kakashi did his eye-smile thing, which somehow made his warning even more sinister.

"Tch, whatever. If I ask nicely enough, maybe he'll let me have the sloppy seconds." He grinned at Hinata, exposing dagger-like teeth. She gulped.

"Yes, well, at any rate, there won't _be_ any leftovers unless we get across. Perhaps you could rectify that situation?"

The boy rolled his eyes, _tch_ed again, then dove back into the water as the spout he had been perched on sputtered and shrank until it completely disappeared.

"S-Seconds? L-Leftovers?" Hinata stuttered, the violent red shade of her face paling so rapidly that the loss of blood made the world start spinning. "No... no no no."

"Please shut up. He needs to concentrate, and given his attention span, that will take a while in itself without you blubbering." Kakashi informed her—loudly—and ignored the subsequent 'fuck you' that bubbled up from the murky depths of the moat.

She swallowed the moan that threatened to escape and closed her eyes._ Help me, Naruto-ouji: you're my only hope._ She repeated his name in her mind like a mantra, her hope diminishing with each repetition.

The sound of waves crashing on the shore and water pouring into a river caused her eyes to snap open, and in front of her, she beheld a—

"D-Dragon!" she shrieked, and even Juken backed up a step or two. She couldn't tell the exact size of the thing, but its head was nearly as big as her horse. It looked very much like a dragon, except that it didn't have wings (so it wasn't a dragon) but it had silvery scales and a beard—like Chinese dragons had—that was the color of kelp, and looked like it too. Hinata wrinkled her nose, the rotting-fish stench of the creature momentarily overpowering her fear. That was, until, it lowered its great head and glared at her through great, purple eyes.

"I'm not a dragon, stupid." it snapped, its voice strangely similar to the naked boy's.

"S-Sorry," she apologized, but the not-a-dragon's attention was now focused on a quietly chuckling Kakashi.

"The fuck you laughing at, gramps? You think it's funny that I'm not a dragon?" it demanded and brought its head mere inches from the man, its reptilian lips curled back into a snarl.

"Ah, so sorry. I simply find it ironic that you called her 'stupid'. And look at me like that again—" he paused and patted the not-a-dragon's snout, eye-smiling all the while, "and I will be having _sushi_ for dinner. Understand?"

The thing snorted, the released breath adding an even more noxious scent to the already putrefied air. It raised its head and glowered at him for a moment before slinking around to face the castle and biting down on the ground. Huge chunks of rock and dried soil fell into the water, though the splashes were no where near large enough to reach the two travelers and their mounts. Hinata watched as it arched its back, spreading its length across the large void and pressing itself against the sheer wall on their side.

_It's made a bridge,_ she realized with a start. _There's no way I'm going across it._

"Well, ladies first." Kakashi called to her, causing her to jump for what must have been the thirtieth time that day.

"Th-There's no way I'm going to cross that thing alive!" she exclaimed with a small, slightly hysteric laugh. Kakashi simply shook his head and nudged his mount. The horse approached her warily, looking just as unamused and exasperated as its master.

"Would you rather I kill you then, so you may cross?" he mused, smiling a bit at the sharp intake of breath she took. Fear: cold, hard, gut-clenching fear settled in the pit of her stomach for the first time in her life. "No, it would take too much effort to revive you, and, frankly, you aren't worth it. And you'll die soon anyway. I don't understand why the Master has taken such an intense interest in you; there are much prettier, _less obnoxious_ girls throughout the kingdom." He shook his head at the enigmatic mind of his higher-up.

"Regardless, he wants you, and you really should be alive when you are presented to him, so... go on." he said and clicked his tongue softly. Juken started toward the living bridge, and no amount of rein pulling or kicking would dissuade her. Tears—of grief, of anguish, of anger, she wasn't sure—pooled in Hinata's eyes and trickled down her cheeks in hot streams. Juken stepped onto the scaly back and began the long, careful trek across the moat. She knew Kakashi and his mount were right behind them, though she refused to look back.

Hinata was nearly halfway across when impulsiveness struck her. "No," she whispered, clenching her hands so tightly that her nails stung her palms. "I can't die this way... I won't die, not this way!" she shouted firmly and decisively kicked her feet out of the stirrups. If she was going to die, well, then it would be on her own terms.

She kicked her right leg over the saddle, so she was seated sideways and left to stare at the unforgiving waters below, which suddenly seemed to be miles away. Her hands now gripped the leather of her saddle, trembling gently as she steeled her nerve.

"What are you doing?" Kakashi's voice reached her, surprisingly calm, despite the situation.

"Preparing to jump." she told him, then blinked rapidly. Why had she answered him? _It doesn't matter. I won't have to wonder why in a few moments._

"Ah, I don't think that's a very good idea, Hinata-chan." he murmured. His voice was low, husky, and it sent shivers racing up and down her spine.

_No. It's not a good idea. Why am I doing this again?_

"Just turn back around in your seat. We're almost there." he continued, coaxingly.

_I really should right my seat or I might fall off! Good thing Kakashi was here to tell me._ Her body was moving on its own, but her senses were so numbed that she could only vaguely tell. Hinata smiled wistfully at the castle.

_Yes, almost there. To the place where I will be killed_.

Her body jerked, rebelling at the thought. Hinata nearly lost her balance at the realization. She was going to be slaughtered there, and she had been smiling contently at the thought! She returned to her side-saddle position, trying to look as outraged as she could muster while she glared at Kakashi.

"You enchanted me!" she accused, and wanted so badly to point her finger at him and shake it in shame. Kakashi simply shrugged.

"I can't allow you to die just yet. You really should just accept your fate, before you force me to have to do something drastic. And the Master won't be happy with you if you do." he said casually as he fussed with his eye-patch.

"Well, now you've convinced me," she retorted bitterly. "Anything to cause him discomfort." And with that, she threw herself from her saddle, her arms opened wide to embrace her final resting place.

She didn't know what caused her to look. Perhaps it was another enchantment, or maybe it was simply the wind resistance, but no matter the cause, she found her head had turned and her eyes had locked onto Kakashi's. She noticed with unusual clarity that his eyes were mismatched, one being a rather dark brown, very nearly black, and the other a startling blood red.

After that she didn't notice very much at all.

* * *

**A/N **Fuaha! Bet you weren't expecting an update! Well, let me express my apologies: it's my final year of high school, and it is intent on making me remember it for a very long, long time. So, I hope ya'll enjoyed the update, and hopefully there will be more coming soon! Also, please ignore any grammatical errors, as I wrote the first half of this chapter like, last December and just finished the rest of it tonight. Also also, sorry for the gratuitous cussing, and be forewarned, there will be more in the coming chapters.


	5. Chapter 5

Hinata woke up, which was the first indication that she wasn't dead. Her head ached fiercely, like the time she hadn't been paying attention while carrying in the laundry and had ran face-first into the kitchen door. But she hadn't run into any doorways, or at least, she didn't remember doing so. Thinking about anything other than the present caused an unpleasant twinge right behind her eyes.

She groaned gently and rubbed her forehead with a trembling hand, grimacing as she felt something foreign and... _globby_ stick to it.

She squinted at her fingers, trying to identify the substance without stressing herself even further. It was dark and dripped off of her fingertips, and at first she thought it was blood, which would be why she couldn't think very well.

_My brain is bleeding,_ she thought and giggled quietly, and then quickly began coughing when she realized making any sound more strenuous than a grunt made her throat hurt. Hinata tried to relax her body, willing the fit to subside. After another few minutes of coughing and spitting up some sort of fluid, she found the strength to sit herself up and gain her bearings.

"Looks like Sleeping Beauty is finally awake," a voice mused from somewhere to her right. Hinata groaned and tried to focus her gaze on the blob sitting next to her, but she was having a bit of trouble, seeing as how the blob seemed to double and then triple itself whenever her eyes so much as twitched.

"Who-" she began, then immediately regretted speaking when her body seized in an attempt to fight off another series of coughs. She felt a hand grip the back of her head, and before she could protest at the touch, had a goblet pressed to her lips and a thick liquid sluiced over her face.

"Drink. It'll help."

Even though the fluid tasted horrible, she swallowed as much as she could. To be honest, she was much more afraid of the person making her drink than the drink itself.

And it did help. Her vision was clearing by the second, and soon she was able to focus on the young man sitting in a chair near her bedside.

His hairstyle was the first thing that struck her. It looked… odd. Messy and unkempt, sticking up in the back, and was as black as the tar they used to water-proof new roofs. His eyes, which were just as dark, bore into her with a frightening detachedness. They reminded her of the eyes of the shark her cousins had brought back from the sea a few years back.

She blinked quickly, her mind trying to comprehend the jump from drowning in a cold, dank moat to relaxing in a castle suite with a fire crackling merrily in the hearth.

"I don't… I'm not—Is this, um, Heaven?" she asked, her voice still hoarse from the coughing. The man arched an eyebrow at her and leaned back in his seat, his expression unreadable.

"Quite the opposite, actually," he shrugged and gestured to the lavish animal-skin rugs covering the pristine marble floors, the exotic tapestries fluttering against the stone walls of the apartment from a cool night breeze. "But we make do."

Hinata felt a lump form in her throat and swallowed it down, tears pricking the corners of her eyes as she fought to keep her composure. So, she had died. She had drowned and… and now she was here to toil away at her eternal punishment.

Her mind flitted back to memories that normally would have seemed inconsequential to her.

She remembered Neji asking her to help him feed the pigs, since the other cousins that usually did it were plowing the fields that day. She had excused herself by claiming that she smelled something burning in the kitchen, even though the ovens had yet to be lit.

Then it was the day Hanabi had gone looking all over the property for her, trying to find her to remind her it was her turn to draw water from the well, water that would later be used to boil their food, slake their thirst, and keep the shoddy plumbing in their house from falling into disuse. Hinata recalled that she had hidden in the pots-and-pans cabinet, sitting snug inside a great black cauldron and pretending she was being cooked in a witch's brew and awaiting rescue from her Prince.

And, finally, her thoughts turned to their father, sobbing brokenly over their mother's body the day she had died. Her infant sibling was clutched tightly in Hiashi's arms, and crying nearly as loudly as he was. She remembered standing there, watching the scene unfold before she turned around and walked out of the house.

Maybe if she hadn't been so selfish, maybe if she had cared more about the things that mattered rather than the things she wished mattered, maybe then she wouldn't be here in Hell with this unsettling man.

"I-I know it's too late for m-me, but, is—do you know i-if… w-will my family ever, that is, um… come here?" she sputtered, unable to help her nervous stuttering. "If… If there's anything I can d-do, um, to keep them from ending up in th-this place, I'd… I'd be willing to take extra punishment to keep them from eternal damnation."

Hinata couldn't recall ever having offered to do something for her father or sister (unless it was baking extra to sell at market, which she didn't mind doing as long as Prince Naruto would be in the vicinity where she sold them), much less her entire family. But she had spoken without any hesitation, and she meant what she said: the realization both scared her and elated her.

The dark haired man regarded her coolly for a moment, as if considering her offer, before saying, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Hinata stared at him uncomprehendingly before gesturing lamely at her surroundings. "Um, rolling b-boulders up hills… t-tied to a flaming wheel… eternal p-punishment…" she trailed off, growing worried when he showed no sense of recognition at the common punishments for evildoers. "This… I-I'm dead, right?"

The man gave an undignified snort, completely ruining his frosty demeanor. The fire crackled angrily as he fought to suppress his chuckling, and a faint trace of smoke filled the room.

"You're not _dead_, idiot," he managed after he regained his composure. "You're at Sora-ku Castle. About forty kilometers east of Konoha…" he trailed off when she showed no sign of recognition. He sighed irritably, then muttered, "Some people call it 'Dragon's Keep'."

"Oh!" Hinata squeaked in surprise and looked around her frantically for the infamous inhabitant the castle was named after. So she had made it after all. Had been rescued from drowning, only to be thrown into the gullet of a dragon. How wonderful.

"Is… is he hungry?" she whispered urgently and hugged her arms around herself in an attempt to keep her body from trembling. The man gave her a glare that caused an all new shudder to run through her body. The room was suddenly way too hot, as if the other's anger was causing the temperature to skyrocket.

"Of course he's hungry! Why the hell do you think you're here?" he snapped at her before standing up and walking toward a door on the far wall. "You've wasted enough time already. Go wash up and put some clean clothes on," he growled and gestured to a nearby bureau. "Be in the kitchen in ten minutes or you're dead."

Hinata sat in the bed for a few more moments before getting to her feet and walking mechanically to the bathroom. A bath was already filled, which she found odd, since no one would have known when she would wake, but when she dipped a finger into the water, she found it nice and balmy. She undressed quickly and slipped into the warm water, blushing from the embarrassment of revealing herself in a strange place.

But she relaxed into the water, despite herself, the warmth seeping into her bones and making her momentarily forget what was about to happen to her. That was, until she wiped away some of the bubbly froth that rested on the top of the water, and revealed that the liquid had a pinkish tinge to it and gave off a sweet smell. _Marinating me_, she thought with a grimace, took up a sponge, and began cleaning herself with renewed fervor.

She wrapped herself in a deep blue towel that felt so soft she was afraid the roughness of her skin would rub away the fibers. The dresses she found in the bureau were just as fine, all colors of the rainbow and made of the smoothest silk she'd ever seen. _Well, at least the Dragon knows how to treat his meals right_, she thought and giggled nervously. If she was going to die, at least she got the chance to bathe in expensive oils and wear a fancy dress. She picked up a dark purple one, her natural practicality winning out over the brighter colors. The dress would be ruined, unless he made her undress before eating her (which made her shudder out of disgust), but at least the bloodstains wouldn't show up as badly.

And then she was out the door and staring down at a foreboding flight of stone steps. Torchlight intermittently lit the passage as it wound down to the main part of the castle. Hinata shakily reached out a hand to lay against the cool walls while she picked up some of her gown with the other, so she wouldn't trip and break her neck, or worse, rip the expensive fabric.

"Well. H-Here goes nothing." Hinata breathed shakily before beginning her trek down the steps.

Which, surprisingly, wasn't that long. She went down what perhaps equated to three or four stories before reaching the ground floor. She was in a large hall, bare except for a dark red rug that ran the length of it. There were doors along either side of it, interrupted only by large windows that were open to let the cool night air in. Hinata counted about twenty doors before giving up and trying the first one on her left. Which was, to her surprise, the kitchen.

In spite of her impending death, Hinata couldn't help but marvel at the kitchen. Sure, her kitchen at home was, well, more homey, but this… this kitchen was immense. Five ovens lined the wall immediately to her right, with fire already blazing inside. Various utensils used for stirring, flipping, and slicing hung around them on the wall, some made of iron and wood, and others she wore were at least gilded in gold and silver. Immediately across from her was a counter with cabinets above and below that ran along the entire back wall. She could only assume that the pots and pans were kept beneath it, with bowls and diningware hanging above, because she didn't have the courage to go over and open any of them. There was even a sink, placed nicely in the middle of the countertop, that was nearly as large as the bathtub she had bathed in.

And there were windows all along that wall, so many that it was nearly open to the outside. She crept over the the nearest opening and saw that she was overlooking the lifeless plains she had rode through, and, in the distance, she could just barely see the brightness of Konoha. There was a sudden splashing sound before a giant white, dripping head blocked her vision. Hinata managed to hold in her scream, but ended up backing into a long table in the middle of the room, knocking over a few chairs in the process.

"Ah, good, you're here," Suigetsu nodded approvingly, not even caring that he had nearly scared the life out of the young baker. "I'll let the bitch know so she can help you get the meal ready."

Hinata's first thought was how the giant water… thing was going to crawl out of his moat to pass on the message, but her question was quickly answered by the deafening roar he let out. She could still feel it reverberating in the walls long after the summons ended, and there was a slight ringing in her ears that almost made her miss the sound of the loud, angry footsteps rapidly approaching the room.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Came the shout before the door even finished bursting open, revealing an enraged red head in a bright blue dress. The woman shoved past Hinata, her focus entirely on the smirking, sharp toothed snout that was shoved as far as it could go through the window.

"Salutations, Queen Bitch. How are you this lovely eve—" Suigetsu began in a pleasant tone, but was cut off when the woman punched him soundly on the nose. The muzzle immediately disappeared from the window, followed by a pained roar from the not-a-dragon boy.

"That _fucker_," the woman hissed, cradling her rapidly reddening fist. "Who does he think he is! I barely had enough time to snag my dearest's dirty shirt… Who the hell are you?"

Hinata jumped when she realized the other woman had finally noticed her, and nervously fidgeted with her dress. But before she could even open her mouth to answer, the woman was already speaking.

"You must be the fresh meat. Well, hop to it, then. Pantry's the far door on your left and the keeping room is behind the other door and down the stairs."

Hinata stared at her for a moment, caught between confusion and shock. _Do they… do they honestly expect me to… to cook the meal I am to be served with?_ The luxurious kitchen immediately took on a darker shade. All of those sharp knives hanging on the wall… A sink large enough to skin her and get rid of her waste… And ovens that could comfortably fit her on a roasting spit. Her knees suddenly gave out, and she sat down hard in a chair behind her. Sure, she knew that the Dragon was, well, a dragon, but she never thought any creature could ever be so evil.

"Hey… Hey, what do you think you're doiing? Why'd you go all pale?" the red-head demanded, somehow managing to sound angry rather than concerned. She placed a hand against Hinata's forehead and tsked under her breath.

"You're going into shock, although I don't know why. I hope you're not always so _fragile_, because if you are, Master won't be very pleased at all," she pursed her lips before grabbing Hinata by her forearms and easily lifting her up into the air. Hinata squirmed futily in her grip, but quickly stopped moving when the women squeezed so tightly that Hinata found it hard to breathe.

"And if Master isn't pleased, _I'm_ not pleased. I don't even understand why he chose a… a plain old maid when he could have his pick of anyone in the kingdom, anyone at all!" She laughed bitterly. "But _no_, he chose _you_. And if you do anything, _anything_ to upset Master, I _will_ make you regret defiling such an honor," she hissed, shaking Hinata with each emphasized word. "Understand?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am." Hinata managed to gasp. The girl nodded sagely before dropping her unceremoniously back into her chair.

"Good. Now get to work," she growled and stalked to the exit. "I'm Karin, by the way," she called behind her before slamming the door shut.

"M-My name is H-Hinata…" she whispered into the empty room.

Though the fear of her approaching death still weighed heavily on her mind, Hinata couldn't help but feel a bit relieved at the familiarity of her work. The soothing sound of a knife hitting the chopping block, the melodious boiling of broth over a blazing flame, even the panicked squawking of chickens as she wrung their necks put her in a state of peace.

She stared out one of the many windows while mincing some garlic and parsley together._Father said he would make an appeal to the Queen… Prince Naruto should be galloping gallantly across those barren plains at this very moment. He couldn't possibly turn down such a request… even if it is to save a nobody like me._ She smiled softly at the thought, though refused to raise her hopes. He was a busy Prince… It was hopeless to think he'd ride out in the middle of the night to save a no-name farmer's daughter from the mighty Dragon.

But focusing on cooking helped her to forget. She planned a large meal, modeled after the one she usually cooked for her family on holidays. Plain white bread and a particularly smelly cheese she found in the pantry would serve to neutralize his palate between dishes. She made a rich basin of wedding soup for the first course, and a few chickens covered in a garlic-and-herb paste, and stuffed with a few subtle spices that would give them a pleasant, melt-in-your-mouth taste. She also made a large salad with vinegar and oils as dressing, though she wasn't quite sure if the Dragon would eat it. Finally, a dessert of sweet custard and pudding rounded out the meal. She didn't know how much a dragon needed to eat, but she hoped that he would be too full from this meal to eat her.

Despite loathing the beast that was about to devour her, she couldn't help but admire his kitchen, especially his stock stores. His pantry was about the size of her kitchen at home and filled with all kinds of dried goods and salted meats. However, there was a severe lack of upkeep, so many of the items were damaged by pests or else developing mold. Thankfully, she could salvage most of what she brought out, and at least the keeping room, where the vegetables, fruits, and some live animals were stored, was in much better shape. It stunk horribly, but at least the stench hadn't seeped into the perishables.

With the hour gone, the meal hot and ready to be served, and no Naruto in sight, the last of Hinata's hope dissipated in the harsh face of reality. No one was going to save her. She wasn't going to make it out alive. But, at least she was able to cook in such an amazing kitchen. And, maybe, the Dragon would eat her quickly if he enjoyed her food.

There was a sharp rap on the door, but the person on the other side didn't bother waiting for her to open it. A simply huge man with orange, spiky hair entered the room. Hinata couldn't help stepping away from him as he sauntered over to the table in the middle of the room that was currently overloaded with all of her dishes. She stiffened instinctively when he moved past her to grab a dish cart, but relaxed gradually when he showed no sign of doing anything other than loading the fine dishes onto the cart.

"Um… Thank you… Sir," Hinata murmured once he had finished, and the man finally addressed her for the first time.

"Juugo," he grunted and gestured for her to follow him out as he began wheeling the cart back into the hallway. "And you're welcome."

She nearly had to jog to keep up with his large stride, but thankfully, or, not thankfully, he stopped beside a large pair of doors near the end of the hall. Hinata swallowed dryly, her heart beginning to race out of fear of what was on the other side.

But she didn't feel like crying. She didn't want to beg for mercy. Escaping held no meaning to her. This was it, this was inevitable, and postponing it, lingering on it, would only make it that much more painful.

"Ready." Juugo said, more of a statement than a question, and opened the doors with a single push from his hands. He pushed the cart past the gigantic doors into the room, the size and detail of it Hinata could only imagine since she couldn't bear to look at it, for fear of seeing _it_.

_No need to cry_, she told herself as she fell into step behind him. _No need to be afraid. Be confident; be proud. No one will see through you if you believe in yourself._ She repeated the mantra in her head, her mother's favorite phrase bringing her some comfort. _I'll be with you soon, Mama._

They finally reached a long table at centre of the room, where Juugo took his leave. Abandoned, Hinata could think of little else to do but set the meal on the table. She could feel it staring at her while she worked, as if its gaze itself would consume her whole.

The Dragon was there, its power radiating from the walls themselves, suffocating her.

She set down the last platter and closed her eyes, waiting as it approached. Hinata could hear it's scales scraping together, though; strangely, they sounded softer than she expected. Perhaps the size of the room was great enough to mute even the mighty Dragon. But it was beside her before she knew it, the beast's hot breath on her neck as it loomed over her.

_No need to cry._

She clenched her fists and bit her lip, already regretting what she was about to do.

_No need to be afraid_.

Hinata slowly opened her eyes and turned her head, willing herself to appear at ease, serene.

_Believe in yourself_.

Her thoughts were of sunny blond hair and sky blue eyes as she looked upon death's face.

**A/N** You guys.

You guys.

Words cannot express how sorry I am. Well, actually, they can. I feel horrible for leaving this story without an update for so long. My only excuse is that life caught up with me, finally, and robbed me of a lot of my free time. Ugh. A couple months, and it would have been two years since this was updated. I suck.

Anyway, this chapter was a bitch. Like, completely. It's gone through five revisions, and I'm still not completely happy with it, but I've realized if I keep changing it, then not only will I update later, but it'll also add a lot of pointless filler, which I hate.

So. Once again, I am terribly, terribly sorry for the wait. I imagine the majority of you have abandoned this story all together because of that. And I respect your decision. But to those of you who stayed with it, I thank you, and I hope I will be able to make it worth your while.

(As somewhat of a consolation, I'll be writing a lot more [hopefully] now that this beast of a chapter has been slayed, and I'm pretty sure there will be some smut in here as a consolation.)


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